If, like a lot of us, you are worried about the transmission of germs and bacteria within your home, you probably already know that taking simple steps like regularly washing your hands and being diligent about touching your face are really effective ways to prevent the spread of germs.
You can also design your home in such a way that it helps to minimize the transmission of germs and is, therefore, a healthier place for you and your family to be.
Keep your surfaces clear
Keeping your home free from germs means regularly cleaning down the surfaces with soap and water and using a disinfectant. For this to be truly effective, it’s important to ensure that you have designed your rooms in such a way that bacteria can’t gather in corners and hide from your sponge.
Think about this when you are filling your rooms with ornaments and decorative rugs, they can look great, but they can also help germs hide from being cleaned. A great rule in terms of cleanliness is that less is more.
It’s also important to be mindful of this when you are cleaning into corners, be sure that you are getting your sponge or cloth right in there to make sure you get all of the nasties.
Choose easy to clean materials
When you’re choosing your kitchen countertops, consider going with something like steel, quartz, or Corian. These materials are all non-porous and can easily be cleaned. Things like wood and granite are porous and will naturally soak up a little of whatever touches them, which can mean that they are at a greater risk of germs.
Similarly, when you are choosing your soft furnishings, think about cleaning. When picking a sofa, it’s a good idea to make sure that you choose one where the covers can be easily removed for washing and that they are made from a material that can handle the high-temperature machine cycle that will be needed to get rid of germs.
Automatic doors
Door handles are the perfect place for germs to congregate. Everyone coming in and out of your home touches them, and they probably don’t get cleaned all that often because, for the most part, they aren’t in your direct eye line.
Installing automatic doors might sound a little extreme, but if you have sliding doors, it’s actually a simple matter of installing a sliding door opener onto your existing doors. Plus, you won’t have to worry about trying to open the door with your elbow when you’re carrying something!
Maximize airflow
If you can maximize airflow in your home, then you minimize the risk of germs because most of them will simply be blown away.
To do this, ensure that you open your windows as much as possible to circulate fresh air and make use of ceiling fans to keep the air moving. It’s also important to get your air conditioner cleaned and serviced regularly so that you can ensure it isn’t pushing out stale air.
